Wales vs France - Friday 21st Feb 8pm KO.

by Scrumpy Wed 12 Feb 2014, 2:05 pm

First topic message reminder :

Wales vs France - Friday 21st Feb 8pm KO.

Thought I'd start a thread seeing as our Welsh posters are few and far between this week.

Big, Massive, Huge game for both teams, how do you see it going?

1. Jenkins
2. Hibbard
3. Rhodri Jones
4. AWJ (c)
5. Coombes
6. Warburton
7. Tipuric
8. Faletau
9. Webb
10. Biggar
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Hook
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

16. James
17. Owens
18. A.Jones
19. Ball
20. Lydiate
21. Priestland
22. Phillips
23. Li Williams

News

- Wales centre Scott Williams has been ruled out of the rest of the Six Nations after injuring his shoulder in the 26-3 defeat by Ireland. (lesson to be learnt there for Mr Williams)

- Warburton and Gethin released to play for the Blues this weekend (Please note I used Warburton not WRUburton!)

- Guscott - "Wales should 'think about dropping Mike Phillips"

- "It's probably one of the worst performances that we've had since I've been involved," said Gatland.

- Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips has challenged One Direction's Niall Horan to train with the Welsh squad after the singer criticised him on Twitter.

- Ospreys duo Ashley Beck and Dan Baker called up for Wales training.

- Centre Jonathan Davies has been ruled out of Wales' Six Nations clash against France on Friday after failing to recover from a pectoral injury. Osprey Ashley Beck, has also been ruled out.

by Casartelli Wed 19 Feb 2014, 12:47 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:
Casartelli wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Not denying he has changed games but its also not just Gatland who doesn't see Hook as first choice. Previous club and country coaches have selected him in various positions so they can't all be wrong can they?

They could. One of them was Sean Holley, after all.

Usap fans voted Hook player of the year after a season at 10. They couldn't all be wrong too???

He's reverted to utility player as his club offered him a very lucrative, long term contract to do so. Claiming that he 'couldn't hold on to the 10 shirt' etc is silly. He held it for two seasons and earned glowing reviews from club management and French press alike.

Not very relevant to the team for Friday though. With Hook playing most of his rugby at 15, Biggar is the only sensible choice.

Priestland will get the nod, obviously.

Utter Tosh

Holley was the first coach who made a jersey.... any jersey for the "mercurial" Hook even though he wasn't/isn't the best player in any of the channels (10, 13 or 15), then Gatland and now Delpoux. They all seem to offer him the 10 role on a plate, then have to move him to 13, then have no option to move him to 15, then finally bench at best (in the case of Gatland)

He hasn't held the shirt for two seasons at all, and he has had possibly three games at 10 where he has earned rave reviews.

He was voted club man of the year by the fans mainly for his utter 100% commitment to the Perpignan team rather than his performance in the 10 shirt which has never been more than average, and he played only 70% of the games at 10 even in his first season by the end was shipped to 13 and then 15. Hook is the most expensive player on the French clubs books and he was brought in at 10 after his agent convinced them that he could ignite an expensively assembled backs division and manage the game from a forward driven 15, very much like Toulouse of a couple of years ago and Clermont Ave recently. He failed to deliver at 10 and Perpignan lingered in the bottom four of the table in his first season something that Perpignan under previous 10s (ending at the summit of the Top 14 two years out of three before Hooky arrived) hadn't experienced. Since then they have been in the bottom four twice out of three years (including this season) even though they now have a very rich sugar daddy attempting to do a Toulon and bringing in a kicking game manager (Lopez) "ala Wilkinson", with a perceived running flyhalf (Allan) to learn his trade alongside him.

With shades of the Ospreys bringing in Biggar when Hook started to stall during his flaky 08/09 season, Hook after a bright start in his first season with his new side, saw them becoming relegation contenders from Championship contenders during the previous seasons and yet again his employers had to look to another untried youngster (the then18 yr old Tommy Allan) and in desperation sign the ASM Clermont Auvergne bound Camille Lopez in 2013.

Basically the contract extension was to play FB NOT AS A UTILITY as they feel he hasn't the necessary skill-set at 10 or 13, to amplify this rationale they even tried to entice the 33 or is it 35 year old Budge James out of his SA retirement in Jan 2014 to cover 10 when Allan plays in the 6Ns. They also feel Hooky will not be in consideration for the 2015 6Ns, WC2015 squad or the 2017 Lions tour, hence will be a very experienced and available player over the next three years..... hence the contract extension.

Perpignan are currently yet again in the relegation dogfight (11th place on 38 points), that's 4 points above 13th placed Oyonnax who have played 2 games less.

That's the James Hook Experience to date.

That must be a record for most off-topic words ever written on here.

Back to the important matter of the team for Friday - what is all this "Taulupe" Faletau business?

by Taffineastbourne Wed 19 Feb 2014, 12:49 pm

Cadair Idris wrote:
ScarletSpiderman wrote:
wales606 wrote:
ScarletSpiderman wrote:.....
Priest covers 15, 12.
Halfpenny covers 11, 14.
Sanjay covers 15.
Cuthbert covers 13 (if really needed).

Then on the bench

Phillips covers 9, 12, 13
Biggar covers 10
Tipuric covers 6, 7, 12, 13

That's ridiculous,

Preistland, Cuthbert and Tipuric have never played centre
Phillips has played centre once,

In fact, Dan Biggar is the last one to have played in the centres!

This is an international match, not a preseason friendly!

It is an international, so look where your real weakness is and address it. We were totally schooled in the pack last week, and the French will do the same to us. We need to have the reinforcements ready for up front.

The backs can be covered by other backs, (and Tipuric ) we don't need Hook and Biggar on the bench.

Our pack needs to be far better than we were against Ireland but I don't think the answer is to have 6 forwards on the bench - we should expect our starting pack to perform better.

It would be a massive risk to have just Phillips and Biggar on the bench to cover the backs. If we had a couple of early injuries in the backs like we did against SA in November we'd be in trouble.

Tipuric has better hands than most of our backs so he should be ok as cover!

by nobbled Wed 19 Feb 2014, 1:23 pm

Phillips dropped - Wales back on for the championship!

by nobbled Wed 19 Feb 2014, 1:24 pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/26244712

Wales back on for the Championship!

Wales (v France): Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), George North (Northampton Saints), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), Liam Williams (Scarlets), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Perpignan), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Racin Metro), Sam Warburton (Capt, Cardiff Blues), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).

Replacements: Ken Owens (Scarlets); Paul James (Bath), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), James Hook (Perpignan).

by ScarletSpiderman Wed 19 Feb 2014, 1:39 pm

Phillips was one of the few players who shown any real fire in the game against Ireland (Coombs being the other that stood out for busting a gut). I appreciate that it was not his best game, but I am far from convinced that the team, with a pack that was out powered, will really gain from dropping the scrum half.

What Wales need to do is drop ALL the players that are not carrying out their tasks properly. Adam Jones is in the team for his scrumaging skills, but he has not put in a good shift all season. Gethin Jenkins did not provide any 'extra openside' skills, and was not looking like a top draw prop. Lydiate and Warburton did very little all game too. IF these problems were being addressed I would believe that we could be looking at winning our remaining games, but just making a scapegoat out of one player will make no difference.

by **rodders** Wed 19 Feb 2014, 1:44 pm

Phillips is a bit of a scapegoat as it was his pack that let the side down v Ireland.

There's a few guys in that front 8 lucky to keep their places.

by nobbled Wed 19 Feb 2014, 1:44 pm

The only fire he showed was when the ball wasn't in play. Oh, and on Twitter.
If Wales get quick ball they can do real damage.
I think they'll beat France now. North - Bastereaud will be a great battle, but I expect North to win it.

by SecretFly Wed 19 Feb 2014, 1:52 pm

nobbled wrote:Phillips dropped - Wales back on for the championship!

Either that or those who have been calling for Phillips' BODing will have some serious egg on face if the alternative plays through an even worse performance and scoreline than the Ireland game.

by flyhalffactory Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:05 pm

Andrew Coombs was close to your best player last week, could cover 4,5,6,7, and possibly 8 and now is out of the 23. Whilst you have two players on the bench who can cover FH, Centre and FB..... Beggars belief.

Players who can cover and have played;

15. Halfpenny, Williams, Priestland, Biggar, Roberts, Hook
14. Halfpenny, Williams, North, Roberts
13. North, Roberts, Biggar, Priestland, Phillips, Hook
12. Roberts, Biggar, Priestland, Phillips, Hook
11. Halfpenny, Williams, North, Roberts
10. Priestland, Biggar, Hook

Its a difficult choice but I would have rather had;
* Coombs on the bench to cover 6/8, dropped Priestland from the 23, played Biggar from the start, and had Hook to cover FH/C/FB.
* Coombs on the bench to cover 6/8, Biggar on bench to cover FH/C/FB as he is the only one who has started in all three positions this term, and Hook dropped.

Last week AWJ and Lydiate looked out of sorts, Charteris is just back from injury, Jake Ball has very little experience and Gatland inexplicably opts to over compensate on 15-10

by Cadair Idris Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:15 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:Andrew Coombs was close to your best player last week, could cover 4,5,6,7, and possibly 8 and now is out of the 23. Whilst you have two players on the bench who can cover FH, Centre and FB..... Beggars belief.

Players who can cover and have played;

15. Halfpenny, Williams, Priestland, Biggar, Roberts, Hook
14. Halfpenny, Williams, North, Roberts
13. North, Roberts, Biggar, Priestland, Phillips, Hook
12. Roberts, Biggar, Priestland, Phillips, Hook
11. Halfpenny, Williams, North, Roberts
10. Priestland, Biggar, Hook

Its a difficult choice but I would have rather had;
* Coombs on the bench to cover 6/8, dropped Priestland from the 23, played Biggar from the start, and had Hook to cover FH/C/FB.
* Coombs on the bench to cover 6/8, Biggar on bench to cover FH/C/FB as he is the only one who has started in all three positions this term, and Hook dropped.

Last week AWJ and Lydiate looked out of sorts, Charteris is just back from injury, Jake Ball has very little experience and Gatland inexplicably opts to over compensate on 15-10

Biggar or Priestland covering 12/13 against Fofana/Basteraud Shocked

by Scrumpy Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:18 pm

So Phillips is dropped to the bench.

I bet he comes on makes an impact and Wales win so that he'll be the golden boy in Gatlands eyes once more (apart from WRUburton!)

by flyhalffactory Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:22 pm

nobbled wrote:The only fire he showed was when the ball wasn't in play. Oh, and on Twitter.
If Wales get quick ball they can do real damage.
I think they'll beat France now. North - Bastereaud will be a great battle, but I expect North to win it.

That's the whole point last week Phillips/Priestland didn't get any quick ball. Ireland outmuscled the front five, and were quicker at the set-piece and breakdown than your back-row.

Phillips is one of your few players who had a real go last week.

Phillips/Priestland were always on the back foot due to your inept performance from your entire pack (Coombs and Warburton aside), he is not the quickest distributor and generally needs two steps but if you were going to look at players to drop then Adam Jones, Hibbard, Jenkins, AWJ, Lydiate all put their hands up and said "drop me Sir"

Its always easier to blame the half-backs when assessing where it all went wrong though.

by The Bachelor Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:31 pm

I don't think Phillips has been in good form for well over a year now, but he was no worse than most of the Welsh team against Ireland and does tend to relish the games vs France. Hopefully, if he has a point to prove, he can have a big impact from the bench (a game changing impact for Wales; not a yellow card).

by nobbled Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:33 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:
nobbled wrote:The only fire he showed was when the ball wasn't in play. Oh, and on Twitter.
If Wales get quick ball they can do real damage.
I think they'll beat France now. North - Bastereaud will be a great battle, but I expect North to win it.

That's the whole point last week Phillips/Priestland didn't get any quick ball. Ireland outmuscled the front five, and were quicker at the set-piece and breakdown than your back-row.

Phillips is one of your few players who had a real go last week.

Phillips/Priestland were always on the back foot due to your inept performance from your entire pack (Coombs and Warburton aside), he is not the quickest distributor and generally needs two steps but if you were going to look at players to drop then Adam Jones, Hibbard, Jenkins, AWJ, Lydiate all put their hands up and said "drop me Sir"

Not mine - I'm English. Ireland were a better team all over the park, largely due to a superior game-plan with clinical execution. However, when Wales forwards did get the ball the pi$$ poor slow pass from Phillips meant there was no hope of making it over the gain-line as Ireland were re-set and ready.
Frustrates the hell out of me when scrum-halves can't deliver quick ball. Ben Youngs for example can be either the best or the worst. His bloody meerkat impression can be a nightmare.

Its always easier to blame the half-backs when assessing where it all went wrong though.

Not mine - I'm English. Ireland were a better team all over the park, largely due to a superior game-plan with clinical execution. However, when Wales forwards did get the ball the pi$$ poor slow pass from Phillips meant there was no hope of making it over the gain-line as Ireland were re-set and ready.
Frustrates the hell out of me when scrum-halves can't deliver quick ball. Ben Youngs for example can be either the best or the worst. His bloody meerkat impression can be a nightmare.

by international197 Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:33 pm

Phillips is on the bench.

by Scrumpy Wed 19 Feb 2014, 2:44 pm

Have North and Roberts played together in the centres before?

by ScarletSpiderman Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:00 pm

Scrumpy wrote:Have North and Roberts played together in the centres before?

Last game

by ScarletSpiderman Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:03 pm

flyhalffactory wrote:...Last week AWJ and Lydiate looked out of sorts, Charteris is just back from injury, Jake Ball has very little experience and Gatland inexplicably opts to over compensate on 15-10

The worst is tha , knowing how Gats makes his tactical subs, Biggar will most like stay on the bench. Hook will come on in the centre/fullback/flyhalf and Biggar will be left on the bench 'just in case'.

by Scrumpy Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:07 pm

That went well! Shocked

by flyhalffactory Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:16 pm

Cadair Idris wrote:
flyhalffactory wrote:Andrew Coombs was close to your best player last week, could cover 4,5,6,7, and possibly 8 and now is out of the 23. Whilst you have two players on the bench who can cover FH, Centre and FB..... Beggars belief.

Players who can cover and have played;

15. Halfpenny, Williams, Priestland, Biggar, Roberts, Hook
14. Halfpenny, Williams, North, Roberts
13. North, Roberts, Biggar, Priestland, Phillips, Hook
12. Roberts, Biggar, Priestland, Phillips, Hook
11. Halfpenny, Williams, North, Roberts
10. Priestland, Biggar, Hook

Its a difficult choice but I would have rather had;
* Coombs on the bench to cover 6/8, dropped Priestland from the 23, played Biggar from the start, and had Hook to cover FH/C/FB.
* Coombs on the bench to cover 6/8, Biggar on bench to cover FH/C/FB as he is the only one who has started in all three positions this term, and Hook dropped.

Last week AWJ and Lydiate looked out of sorts, Charteris is just back from injury, Jake Ball has very little experience and Gatland inexplicably opts to over compensate on 15-10

Biggar or Priestland covering 12/13 against Fofana/Basteraud

Sweeping one-liner Shocked

Bit more meat on the bone

by glamorganalun Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:27 pm

I bet England are hoping Wales have the worst 10 in this 6N playing against them, Ì find it unbelievable Priestland is in the squad, did Gatland watch Wales play in the 6N last year Biggar not Priestland played. I agree Wales forwards were poor against Ireland but Priestland's clueless kicking did not help.

by bedfordwelsh Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:31 pm

Maybe he also watched Priestland in the WC and is hoping he can regain that form which was way ahead of what Biggar is capable of.

by ScarletSpiderman Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:41 pm

glamorganalun wrote:I bet England are hoping Wales have the worst 10 in this 6N playing against them, Ì find it unbelievable Priestland is in the squad, did Gatland watch Wales play in the 6N last year Biggar not Priestland played. I agree Wales forwards were poor against Ireland but Priestland's clueless kicking did not help.

I guess he did. During that whole 6Ns we only turned up for one game. Priest may spark something in the backs, if they can get he ball to him that is.

by nathan Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:43 pm

Are people now suggesting that Mr Slow Phillips is slow at getting the ball away for all these years because his pack hasn't been doing their job?

by ScarletSpiderman Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:46 pm

nathan wrote:Are people now suggesting that Mr Slow Phillips is slow at getting the ball away for all these years because his pack hasn't been doing their job?

No we are saying that dropping him is not the panacea that it is being made out to be. He is one of the problems but there are another 4 or five of them in the pack, and also a few problems in the backs IMO (lack of balance at centre etc)

by Scrumpy Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:48 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:Maybe he also watched Priestland in the WC and is hoping he can regain that form which was way ahead of what Biggar is capable of.

That was a blip!

He hasn't done much since to be honest.

by flyhalffactory Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:51 pm

nathan wrote:Are people now suggesting that Mr Slow Phillips is slow at getting the ball away for all these years because his pack hasn't been doing their job?

Where have you read that Nathan?

Or are you knocking the door, sniggering and running away

by Scrumpy Wed 19 Feb 2014, 3:52 pm

Phillips will win the game for Wales!

by Guest Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:01 pm

I actually quite like the idea of Phillips on the bench. I can imagine him champing at the bit when he comes on and perhaps putting in 15-20 minutes of rabid dog mayhem that used to get him plaudits in the past. Sadly, he can't do this for a whole game any more. But for a short time I reckon he could. Not sure if it would be best if we're winning and looking to close out the game, or losing closely and him coming on to rally the troops and offer a more blunt force approach against tiring defenders. But I think he could be a game changer potentially.

by Comfort Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:03 pm

He should have gone after the Ai's if we're being honest (I wanted him gone after the Lions - it was clear then he'd lost the extra power and pace that allowed him to excel despite his flaws).

However, and its been stated already, he wasn't the worst player on the pitch against Ireland, even though he was p*ss poor, which says it all about how the forwards played. Our set piece was the worst I have seen it since Gatland took over, it was that bad.

To accompany this we failed to change our tatics at the breakdown when it was clear Walsh wasn't going to let us compete.

The forwads were poor, Hibbard and AWJ were probably due a lapse in their excellent form. Jenkins was back too early (but did alright I thought), Adam Jones was poor, visible onl for the fact he was wearing a scrum cap and flapping his arms at the sides of rucks. Lydiate was poor.

Faletau/Coombes/Warburton were all industrious but rendered ineffective on their own by an Irish pack on the rampage.

by Cadair Idris Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:05 pm

ScarletSpiderman wrote:
nathan wrote:Are people now suggesting that Mr Slow Phillips is slow at getting the ball away for all these years because his pack hasn't been doing their job?

No we are saying that dropping him is not the panacea that it is being made out to be. He is one of the problems but there are another 4 or five of them in the pack, and also a few problems in the backs IMO (lack of balance at centre etc)

Certainly not a panacea but I do think we need to establish a new scrum half to build for the World Cup. Phillips has not played well for Wales for a long time now IMO and was also disappointing on the Lions tour. The question marks in the pack are more recent and I can understand why he's giving the likes of our front row and Lydiate another chance to prove themselves. I'm personally not too worried about the backs other than who plays 10. The centre issue is simply the result of a number of unfortunate injuries to all the suitable candidates rather than a longer term problem - pretty unlucky to have JD2, Scott Williams, Cory Allen, Owen Williams all out at the same time.

by Guest Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:08 pm

Griff wrote:I actually quite like the idea of Phillips on the bench. I can imagine him champing at the bit when he comes on and perhaps putting in 15-20 minutes of rabid dog mayhem that used to get him plaudits in the past. Sadly, he can't do this for a whole game any more. But for a short time I reckon he could. Not sure if it would be best if we're winning and looking to close out the game, or losing closely and him coming on to rally the troops and offer a more blunt force approach against tiring defenders. But I think he could be a game changer potentially.

Completely agree.

by beshocked Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:14 pm

Bit worrying for France that Wales have dropped their extra flanker. Means Wales might actually get some quick ball!

The likes of Murray,Care and B.Youngs when are in good form show how important 9s are to a backline's attack.

Care in particular has galvanised England this season and helped take some responsibility off Farrell Jr.

Murray and Sexton half back combo also seems to have worked very well so far in the 6 nations.

Let's be honest Wales have struggled in the halfbacks for some time. Dropping Phillips at least gives Wales a chance at finding an effective 9/10 combo.

As Griff says Phillips on the bench is good - it will give him the motivation to win his place back plus he is still a very experienced player despite his flanker like nature.

by wales606 Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:27 pm

international197 wrote:Halfpenny can cover outside-half, IMO.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25641131

Biggar can cover full-back, IMO.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/wales-fly-half-dan-biggar-play-6237015

Halfpenny did not play 10 in that game, or any other for the Blues

by international197 Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:31 pm

Cadair Idris wrote:pretty unlucky to have JD2, Scott Williams, Cory Allen, Owen Williams all out at the same time.

+ Ashley Beck Cry

. But, on the other hand, I think we are lucky to have Jamie Roberts, George North and James Hook fit Yahoo

.

Are you sure about Owen Williams? Headscratch

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-star-centre-owen-6595248

by bedfordwelsh Wed 19 Feb 2014, 4:47 pm

Scrumpy wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Maybe he also watched Priestland in the WC and is hoping he can regain that form which was way ahead of what Biggar is capable of.

That was a blip!

He hasn't done much since to be honest.

Neither has Biggar really, Priestland brings Roberts into the game by playing it a lot flatter and thats what Gatland wants.

by glamorganalun Wed 19 Feb 2014, 6:12 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:
Scrumpy wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Maybe he also watched Priestland in the WC and is hoping he can regin the last minutein that form which was way ahead of what Biggar is capable of.

That was a blip!

He hasn't done much since to be honest.

Neither has Biggar really, Priestland brings Roberts into the game by playing it a lot flatter and thats what Gatland wants.

Bed :

Biggar has done very little? Only won the last 6N with him at 10 now it is going all wrong, how many games against Aust did Priestland grab defeat from the jaws of victory, thank god he was not fit for the lions as Gatland would have picked him.

by Jhamer25 Wed 19 Feb 2014, 7:12 pm

It seems that Gethin Jenkins and Mike Phillips had a bit of an argument after the Irish game so he isn't only ruining our attack but was also winding and annoying his own team mates; the same players who will have to help him when he gets into a little scuffle when he making a boobie of himself. Fair play to Gethin, it's the experienced and more mature player like him, Alyn Wyn and Sam who need to tell Mike to get a bluddy grip. Well done Gethin clap

Gatland's taken the first step to dropping him out of the starting XV, hopefully it will be out of the 23 next. I pray to god that Webb has a good game Saturday, he needs to keep him out of the starting XV

by wales606 Wed 19 Feb 2014, 7:23 pm

international197 wrote:
Cadair Idris wrote:pretty unlucky to have JD2, Scott Williams, Cory Allen, Owen Williams all out at the same time.

+ Ashley Beck . But, on the other hand, I think we are lucky to have Jamie Roberts, George North and James Hook fit .

Are you sure about Owen Williams?

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-star-centre-owen-6595248

He came back from injury a couple of weeks ago, only to get injured again

by SecretFly Wed 19 Feb 2014, 7:31 pm

Biggar DID do enough last year to question his absence this year. All Welsh supporters must admit that.

There is a little too much going on in Priestland's head. If he thinks about his game too much and pressure is being put on it, it seems to collapse. "Why is that not working?" "Why can't I do that?" He really does seem to let his negative emotions rush to the surface if not in control.
Biggar seems more stoic and accepting of swings in a game and always seems to back himself emotionally (whether its always enough to win isn't the point, it's that he keeps his mind in the game)

Well, that's my feeling on it. Biggar deserved a chance to show that he could have started as he left off; and Gatland, for his reasons, didn't want to give him that shot.

by Cadair Idris Wed 19 Feb 2014, 7:45 pm

[quote="SecretFly"]Biggar DID do enough last year to question his absence this year. All Welsh supporters must admit that.

There is a little too much going on in Priestland's head. If he thinks about his game too much and pressure is being put on it, it seems to collapse. "Why is that not working?" "Why can't I do that?" He really does seem to let his negative emotions rush to the surface if not in control.
Biggar seems more stoic and accepting of swings in a game and always seems to back himself emotionally (whether its always enough to win isn't the point, it's that he keeps his mind in the game)

Well, that's my feeling on it. Biggar deserved a chance to show that he could have started as he left off; and Gatland, for his reasons, didn't want to give him that shot.[/quo

Agree entirely with that post. Biggar deserved a lot of credit for our 6N win last year. On the other hand, we won the grand slam the year before in spite of Priestland's rapidly declining form.

by Janecory Wed 19 Feb 2014, 7:51 pm

Jhamer25 wrote:It seems that Gethin Jenkins and Mike Phillips had a bit of an argument after the Irish game so he isn't only ruining our attack but was also winding and annoying his own team mates; the same players who will have to help him when he gets into a little scuffle when he making a boobie of himself.

I also heard that.
So he had a poor game.
Then arguing with kids on twitter.
Then being punchy with his own team mates when he was in-toxicated .He is a bloody liability !
No doubt that is the reason, why he has been dropped !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by maestegmafia Wed 19 Feb 2014, 7:56 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:
Scrumpy wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Maybe he also watched Priestland in the WC and is hoping he can regain that form which was way ahead of what Biggar is capable of.

That was a blip!

He hasn't done much since to be honest.

Neither has Biggar really, Priestland brings Roberts into the game by playing it a lot flatter and thats what Gatland wants.

Priestlands form going into the 2011 RWC was superb, he was one of the best backline players in Wales playing excellently at Fullback and Flyhalf for the Scarlets, his form has dropped with injury and not recovered to its former best but he does have a positive to his game which you highlight there Bedford... He brings players in much flatter.

As we were discussing earlier today, his kicking is not the problem, it is the lack of targeting where the ball lands by the other players that was the problem last game. To be fair Halfpenny's kicking was worse than Priestlands by some margin... I think Scrum V highlighted Halfpennys kicks last sunday.

by maestegmafia Wed 19 Feb 2014, 7:57 pm

glamorganalun wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
Scrumpy wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Maybe he also watched Priestland in the WC and is hoping he can regin the last minutein that form which was way ahead of what Biggar is capable of.

That was a blip!

He hasn't done much since to be honest.

Neither has Biggar really, Priestland brings Roberts into the game by playing it a lot flatter and thats what Gatland wants.

Bed :

Biggar has done very little? Only won the last 6N with him at 10 now it is going all wrong, how many games against Aust did Priestland grab defeat from the jaws of victory, thank god he was not fit for the lions as Gatland would have picked him.

biggar or Priestland would have been far better than Farrell as back up to Sexton... Even Hogg was markedly better than Farrell.

by maestegmafia Wed 19 Feb 2014, 8:07 pm

wales606 wrote:
international197 wrote:Halfpenny can cover outside-half, IMO.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25641131

Biggar can cover full-back, IMO.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/wales-fly-half-dan-biggar-play-6237015

Halfpenny did not play 10 in that game, or any other for the Blues

Halfpenny definitely can not cover at flyhalf...!

by SecretFly Wed 19 Feb 2014, 8:12 pm

Jhamer25 wrote:It seems that Gethin Jenkins and Mike Phillips had a bit of an argument after the Irish game.

Intriguing. Do you know what the topic might have been? Was Gethin annoyed that Phillips got in his way as he was about to give Kearney a good.................. boxing

?

No seriously, it was obviously all the frustrations of the game but any clue on a specific? Was Gethin annoyed at Phillips' behavior or his form?

by Casartelli Wed 19 Feb 2014, 8:20 pm

Halfpenny would probably be a very decent 10, given sufficient time. Playing him in a test match with no recent "game time" there would be foolish. Almost like playing one of our wingers, and few world class performers on current form, in the centre. Or scapegoating a scrumhalf and instead selecting an inexperienced 9 behind a lightweight backrow. Oh, wait a sec....

by Jhamer25 Wed 19 Feb 2014, 8:34 pm

SecretFly wrote:
Jhamer25 wrote:It seems that Gethin Jenkins and Mike Phillips had a bit of an argument after the Irish game.

Intriguing. Do you know what the topic might have been? Was Gethin annoyed that Phillips got in his way as he was about to give Kearney a good.................. ?

No seriously, it was obviously all the frustrations of the game but any clue on a specific? Was Gethin annoyed at Phillips' behavior or his form?

They didn't give much away to be honest. I've just heard hey weren't the best of pals after the game. I've learnt that Gethin Jenkins is a quite a quite and miserable character. Nice guy but doesn't look like he will take any sh!t from anyone as he i very open in his words when he feels he needs to step in.
Priestland has said that he (Gethin) is never afraid to get his views across to the backline and tell them when they are making mistakes. He has just been around a long time now, knows the buisness in and out and is one of the senior figures in the team. I would say that it was Mike's attitude on the pitch that annoyed him or how he reacted afterwards, either way i'm sure Gethin said something that would have upset Mike (probably the truth) and had an exchange in words.

by maestegmafia Wed 19 Feb 2014, 9:22 pm

Amazing how one day everyone calls for Phillips as the root of all that is rotten, next he is a scapegoat..?

by Guest Wed 19 Feb 2014, 9:50 pm

Casartelli wrote:Halfpenny would probably be a very decent 10, given sufficient time. Playing him in a test match with no recent "game time" there would be foolish. Almost like playing one of our wingers, and few world class performers on current form, in the centre. Or scapegoating a scrumhalf and instead selecting an inexperienced 9 behind a lightweight backrow. Oh, wait a sec....

Why would Halfpenny make a good ten? He might have more opportunities to throw intercepted passes

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